Revision Transtibial Medial Meniscal Root Repair With Concomitant Medial Opening-Wedge Proximal Tibial Osteotomy

Complete meniscal root tears disrupt dispersion of axial loading forces through hoop stresses. This increases point-loading on tibiofemoral cartilage and leads to chondromalacia and accelerated osteoarthritis (OA). Posterior root tears may be treated successfully with a transtibial pullout repair. Varus malalignment also leads to increased medial compartment pressures, increasing the risk of early OA and putting increased stress on the meniscus and stabilizing knee ligaments. In particular, revision medial meniscal root repairs without correction of varus malalignment are at increased risk of failure. Genu varum may be corrected with a medial opening-wedge proximal tibial osteotomy (OW PTO).

Meniscal root repairs are indicated for acute or chronic tears in active patients with healthy cartilage. OW PTO is indicated for varus malalignment in ambulatory patients with healthy cartilage, or who are at risk for failure of meniscal or ligamentous procedures.

After exposure of the osteotomy site, arthroscopy is performed through the incision and the revision posterior meniscus root repair is performed via a double-tunnel transtibial pullout technique. The positioning of these tunnels is modified superiorly so as to not cross the planned osteotomy site. The osteotomy is then performed by drilling 2 guide pins under fluoroscopy to delineate the plane of the cut. An OW plate is placed, and the root repair is tensioned last.

Double-tunnel transtibial pullout repairs increase meniscal fixation contact surface and have been shown to be biomechanically superior to all-inside fixation techniques. Medial OW PTO restores knee alignment and reduces supra-anatomic stresses in the medial compartment, additionally decreasing the risk of a revision medial meniscus repair failure.

Biomechanical studies have shown that meniscal root tears are functionally equivalent to complete meniscectomy. Varus malalignment increases the risk of medial meniscal tears, and reduces the risk of a successful long-term repair. We describe a technique for a revision transosseous posterior root repair with concomitant proximal tibial osteotomy, with discussion of surgical pearls and pitfalls. This technique restores anatomic position and native function of the medial meniscus while correcting tibiofemoral malalignment that could jeopardize the repair.

The author(s) attests that consent has been obtained from any patient(s) appearing in this publication. If the individual may be identifiable, the author(s) has included a statement of release or other written form.